Spottedleaf's Path to StarClan
by emmakate630
Summary: Read about how Spottedleaf overcomes her parents' deaths and becomes one of the greatest medicine cats the clan has ever seen. Sorry it's so short.


Spottedkit was born on a dark, stormy night, in the middle of a battle between ThunderClan and WindClan. The medicine cat was tending to wounded warriors, so Spottedkit's mother, Redleaf, was left to have her kits alone. Spottedkit was named after her fur, while her brother, Antkit, was named after the insects that crawled into the nursery when he was born. After the battle, the clan leader, Bluestar, reported their father, Rustyfur, dead.

Soon after their birth, Redleaf died protecting her kits from a WindClan invasion. The two kits were nursed and raised by other queens until they could eat prey, then they shared their mothers old nest until they became apprentices.

While Antkit spent his time wrestling the other kits, Spottedkit was fascinated by the world of healing herbs and liked to help with the birth of other kits. Unfortunately, the medicine cat, Jaspertail, already had an apprentice, Harepaw. Spottedkit hated it when she hurt other cats, which is why she refused to wrestle with the other kits. A month later, Harepaw died of green cough, leaving Jaspertail without an apprentice. Spottedkit decided to approach him about becoming his new apprentice before she became a warrior apprentice.

"Jaspertail!" she called at the old medicine cat, who was entering his den.

"Spottedkit," he said happily. "What can I do for you?"

"My apprentice ceremony is coming up soon," she started. "And I don't want to be a warrior. I want to be a medicine cat, like you! So could I be your apprentice?" Jaspertail sighed.

"I would love that," he said. "But I'm still mourning Harepaw. She was an excellent medicine cat and had a great future ahead. I'm sorry, but my answer is no." Spottedkit looked down at her paws in disappointment.

"Try being a warrior for a while," he said. "You might like it." Spottedkit sighed.

"Yes, Jaspertail," she said, walking back to the nursery, head down. The next morning was the morning of her apprentice ceremony, so each of the queens were grooming at Spottedkit and Antkit, trying to get them clean. They would have to sit by themselves instead of with their mother, like the others did.

"May all those old enough to catch their own prey gather for a clan meeting!" yowled Bluestar. "We have to new apprentices. Spottedkit, come forward." She did as she was told and paced closer to Bluestar.

"Do you, Spottedkit, promise to protect your clan and clanmates at any cost?" the blue-gray she-cat asked.

"I do," said Spottedkit proudly.

"Until you have earned your warrior name-" Spottedkit felt a pang of disappointment at the word warrior. "You will be called Spottedpaw. Tigerclaw, you are worthy of an apprentice now. You will mentor Spottedpaw." The spotted she-cat walked over to her new mentor and bowed her head, while he licked her behind the ear. After the ceremony, Antpaw, Tigerclaw, Spottedpaw, and Whitefur (Antpaw's mentor) walked the borders of ThunderClan territory. After a moon of hunting practice and battle training, Spottedpaw had had enough. She went into the medicine den to talk to Jaspertail again.

"I don't like being an warrior!" she exclaimed, storming into the den.

"Why not?" asked Jaspertail, not looking up from sorting the herbs.

"I can't hunt, I don't like to hurt other cats, I can't remember the borders," she was so frustrated with herself she just wanted it all to end. "I'm useless."

"I suppose if you wanted," Jaspertail said. "You could work with me on being a medicine cat."

"I can?" asked Spottedpaw, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

"This is great! I'll go tell Bluestar!" The excited apprentice bolted out of the den and dashed across the camp to the leaders' den. She poked her head in.

"Bluestar?" Spottedpaw called.

"Come in," answered the clan leader. Spottedpaw obeyed and made her way into the den. "What do you need?"

"I was hoping I could switch apprentice roles," she began. Mouse dung! I should have thought out what I was going to say! She thought.

"Switch roles?" asked Bluestar, continuing to eat.

"Bluestar," she said. "I don't like being a warrior! I stink at hunting, I hate hurting the other cats even with sheathed claws! I can never remember the borders, I'm useless! I spoke with Jaspertail and he said I could become his apprentice."

"Did he?" asked Bluestar. "I suppose that's alright. Tell Jaspertail to take you to the moonstone tonight for StarClan's approval." The fur on Spottedpaw's back rose.

"Can't you only go there if you're a fully trained medicine cat? Or a clan leader?" she asked.

"I have faith in you," was all Bluestar said. "Now leave me to eat in peace."

"Yes, Bluestar," said Spottedpaw, bowing her head and ducking out of the den, pacing calmly back to the medicine den.

"Jaspertail," she said looking at the old gray tom. "Bluestar would like for you to take me to the moonstone tonight for StarClan's approval."

"The moonstone?" he asked surprised. "Alright, eat these herbs and then rest in the apprentices' den until we leave. We will move your nest into here tomorrow." He nosed some leaves towards her, which she ate without hesitation, making a face as they slithered down her thoat. She left the den to see her brother playing with the kits. He padded over to amerher.

"There you are!" he said. "Why were you in there? Are you sick? Or hurt?"

"No," she said. "I'm not going to train to be a warrior anymore. I'm going to be Jaspertail's apprentice."

"But then we won't train together!" he said sadly. "You have to be a warrior with me!"

"I'm sorry Antpaw," she said. "I don't like it and I suck at it and I'm done." She left the conversation at that and went to take a nap in her den, but was blocked off by Tigerclaw.

"I heard you will no longer be my apprentice," he said. "I'm disappointed but would like you to know I think you will make a great medicine cat. Some cat needs to be there in case something happens to Jaspertail, considering his age. He has served his clan many moons and might retire to the elders' den soon."

"Thank you, Tigerclaw," she said.

"Good luck at the moonstone," he said, walking away.

The day after the moonstone, Spottedpaw had started to learn the different types of herbs and their uses. She had learned how poopy seeds are used to cause sleep, wild garlic fights infection, and how juniper berries soothe upset stomachs. Jaspertail had told her that she was a fast learner and that she would make one of the clan's best medicine cats. This made her happy that she could serve her clan and not have to hurt any cats. The only downside is that she can never have a mate or kits, but with all the kits in the clan she could treat them as her own.

-3 moons later-

Spottedleaf was mending to her brother's wounds from a small border patrol fight while catching up with him.

"You're killing me, Antfur," said Spottedleaf. "If you come in one more time from fights with Riverclan, then I'll be fresh out of cobwebs. "

"They started it," huffed Antfur. "The Sunning Rocks is ours!"

"Hold still!" she scolded. "Don't get into that big a fight over it."

"I will protect my territory at the cost of my life!" declared Antfur.

"There's only one of me," said Spottedleaf. Her mentor had died from greencough a moon ago and she was barely getting along without him.

"I'm not dead yet," said Antfur as Spottedleaf applied the poultice to his gash and sent him to rest.

The next day, Riverclan started putting their scent down at the Sunning Rocks. A big fight started between the border patrols. Tigerclaw sent back his apprentice, Ravenpaw, to fetch help. The clan deputy, Redtail, had been the first to run for help, with Antfur right behind him.

Spottedleaf had been devastated to hear that her brother had been killed fighting over the rocks, when just as she heard the news, she had received a vision from Starclan that a cat with a flaming red pelt would save the clan one day.

She reported this to Bluestar then went to bury her brother and Redtail, who was also killed in the fight.


End file.
